Machine for the purpose of breaking in or seasoning violins



Sept. 11, 1923. 1,467,576

M. H. FLYDAL v MACHINE FOR THE PURPOSE OF BREAKING IN OR SEASONING VIOLINS Filed Aug. 9, 1920 Patented Sept. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES I MAn'rInUs H. FLYDAL, or HARTFORD, oounno'rrour MACHINE THE PURPOSE OF BREAKING IN OR SEASONING VIOLINS.

Application filed August 9, 1920. seriarnaaoaaes.

State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Machine for the Purpose of Breaking in or Seasoning Violins, of which the following is a specification. 1

This inventionrelates to an apparatus for, automatically playing upon stringed instruments such as violins, viols, cellos, etc, the object of the invention being to provide means of a simple and effective nature for bowing the string or strings of a musical instrument such as one of the kinds denoted, by which the instrument can be broken in or seasoned as would be the case under normal conditions with long continued use.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification, I have shown in detail one of the several forms of embodiment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the same will be set forth fully in the following 'ratus.

description. Clearly I am not restricted to this disclosure. I may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claims following said description.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the appa- Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation or as seen from the right in Fig. 2, parts being omitted.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of part of the supporting structure, the bow-string carrylng frame and certain adjunctive devices.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The various parts of the machine may be supported by a suitable frame such as that denoted in a general way by 20 and practically of rectangular and somewhat skeleton construction. The frame work 20 generally has one side hinged so that when necessary it may be swung open as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1. From the top to the bottom of this frame 20 there extends the standard 1 having as shown the vertical row of' I mounted heel blocks as 3 for holding the heel portion of the violin or other instrument.

The machine or apparatus involves in its construction a movable frame to which the bow-strings are connected and this frame is mounted for swingingor vibratory motion. Asa convenient means forsupporting and guiding it the standards or uprights 1 are shown. The swinging or vibratory frame to which I have referred is denoted by. 5 and as represented is .of practically rectangular construction. Its side bars as shown are furnished with arms 10 between which are respectively stretched the bow-strings 11, these strings acting upon the strings of a musical instrument supported by the standards or uprights l and 2. The arms 10 usuall consist of fiat steel springs and are attac ed as by screws to the opposite side bars of the swinging or vibratory frame 5. The bow-strings 11 are generally such as are found in the bow of a violin or equivalent musical instrument.

The movement of the frame can be accomplished in any suitable way. I will describe the means shown for this purpose. The bearing 14 sustains the shaft of the driver 15 connected as by the band or belt 15 with the band wheel 16, the shaft of which may be sustained by a suitable bearing and driven in some convenient manner. As shown the driver or band wheel 15 has connected with it eccentrically the rod 9 jointed in turn to the rod 9 which in turn is pivotally connected with the bearing 9". It should be noted that the swinging frame 5 is supported from the upright or standard 4 by means of a link or arm as 6 (Fig. 1) pivotally connected at its terminals to the respective parts as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To one of the side bars of the swinging frame are flexibly connected the angular arms 7 which in turn are similarly united with a side of the frame 5 and also to the bar 8 having as shown in it the notch 8 to receive blocks. The heel blocks have pivots which extend through perforations in the upright or standard 3 and carry thumb nuts so that the heel blocks when turned can be maintained in an adjusted position by setting the nuts. This turning of the heel blocks enables the instrument to be turned so as to bring its several strings under the action of the bow-strings.

In action, the violins are mountedashereinbefore described and as shown clearly, it is thought, in Figs. 1 2 and 8. At this time the frame 5 is rocked, toward the right and the left in Fig. 3 for instance and toward the upper portion and the lower portion of Fig. 1', so that the bow stringslll are caused to act upon the strings of the violins, assuming that there are several of them in place. There may be instances Where there is only one violin mounted in the ap- 2. The combination of two standards.

havingmeans for removably supporting the bases and. the necks of." a series of stringed musical instruments, a frame through which the instruments extend, a number having a series Off bowing strings; and power operated means for vibrating the said number, so that the bowingstrings:can play upon the strings of the musical-instruments MARTI-NUS H. FIJYDAL, 

